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View Full Version : Glock mag release spring too strong?



LowAndLeft
11-27-2022, 05:02 PM
I thought the hard-to-release mag issue on my Gen 3 26 was the stock button but after rounding off its Lego-like sharpness to save my thumb and then swapping it out for a Glock 1981 extended button, I've come to the conclusion that the spring is the culprit. Its just dang hard to push against. My G 17's is much easier. Both guns are new--the 17 has only 400 rounds thru it and the 26 hasn't seen any yet. Thoughts on reducing the 26's tension a bit? I've heard they mellow with use over time. Thanks.

JCN
11-27-2022, 05:12 PM
I thought the hard-to-release mag issue on my Gen 3 26 was the stock button but after rounding off its Lego-like sharpness to save my thumb and then swapping it out for a Glock 1981 extended button, I've come to the conclusion that the spring is the culprit. Its just dang hard to push against. My G 17's is much easier. Both guns are new--the 17 has only 400 rounds thru it and the 26 hasn't seen any yet. Thoughts on reducing the 26's tension a bit? I've heard they mellow with use over time. Thanks.

https://rockyourglock.com/ryg-reduced-pound-magazine-catch-spring

WDR
11-27-2022, 06:25 PM
Is it stiff with the slide locked back, no magazine in? Only with a fully loaded mag, fully inserted? Are you 100% sure you've re-installed it properly? There really isn't much to the spring, it's literally a straight piece of wire. I'd be inclined to replace it with another OEM spring, before trying the above mentioned aftermarket one. The Glock 26 10rd mags are very tight fit for the 10th round, and have a lot of pressure upward on the slide from the top round when loaded to capacity and locked into the gun.

RJ
11-27-2022, 07:15 PM
Is it stiff with the slide locked back, no magazine in? Only with a fully loaded mag, fully inserted? Are you 100% sure you've re-installed it properly? There really isn't much to the spring, it's literally a straight piece of wire. I'd be inclined to replace it with another OEM spring, before trying the above mentioned aftermarket one. The Glock 26 10rd mags are very tight fit for the 10th round, and have a lot of pressure upward on the slide from the top round when loaded to capacity and locked into the gun.

This.

LowAndLeft
11-27-2022, 08:34 PM
Is it stiff with the slide locked back, no magazine in? Only with a fully loaded mag, fully inserted? Are you 100% sure you've re-installed it properly? There really isn't much to the spring, it's literally a straight piece of wire. I'd be inclined to replace it with another OEM spring, before trying the above mentioned aftermarket one. The Glock 26 10rd mags are very tight fit for the 10th round, and have a lot of pressure upward on the slide from the top round when loaded to capacity and locked into the gun. Currently, my slide is off getting a RDS milling. However, it was hard to press when I first received the gun (with slide on from factory). The spring itself has never been removed, just the release button.

Now, I feel a stupid-self moment coming on lol...Ive only tried unloaded G26 10-round factory mags with either a Pearce base or unloaded G19 factory mags with a X-Grip sleeve--would unloaded make a difference? They drop fine empty, there's just a lot of spring tension when I push the release. BTW, I'm very new, I appreciate you guys' patience!

Navin Johnson
11-27-2022, 11:00 PM
I personally find it nice to draw a gun and find the magazine is in it. YMMV

BK14
11-27-2022, 11:31 PM
Currently, my slide is off getting a RDS milling. However, it was hard to press when I first received the gun (with slide on from factory). The spring itself has never been removed, just the release button.

Now, I feel a stupid-self moment coming on lol...Ive only tried unloaded G26 10-round factory mags with either a Pearce base or unloaded G19 factory mags with a X-Grip sleeve--would unloaded make a difference? They drop fine empty, there's just a lot of spring tension when I push the release. BTW, I'm very new, I appreciate you guys' patience!

Make sure you aren’t blocking the rear of the catch with your middle finger. Like the guy above me said, unless you are having significant issues getting a mag to drop, I’d rather leave it with factory spring tensions and avoid dumping a mag accidentally.

willie
11-27-2022, 11:33 PM
Currently, my slide is off getting a RDS milling. However, it was hard to press when I first received the gun (with slide on from factory). The spring itself has never been removed, just the release button.

Now, I feel a stupid-self moment coming on lol...Ive only tried unloaded G26 10-round factory mags with either a Pearce base or unloaded G19 factory mags with a X-Grip sleeve--would unloaded make a difference? They drop fine empty, there's just a lot of spring tension when I push the release. BTW, I'm very new, I appreciate you guys' patience!

Unloaded makes a GreaT difference.

WDR
11-27-2022, 11:36 PM
I personally find it nice to draw a gun and find the magazine is in it. YMMV

This is the #1 reason I wouldn't go sticking a lighter than OEM spring in there. Particularly if you're planning on carrying it.

I personally have never experienced a Glock mag release that took much force to depress. I suppose you could have a bad OEM spring, or something else could be wrong with the frame, the catch, or the magazines (unlikely if it feels the same with all mags). If its tight with UNLOADED magazines, I suspect improper install, or out of spec parts/frame. Is the spring fully seated in the frame of the gun? Is the spring fully seated into it's notch in the magazine release?

A replacement OEM spring is in stock, and $5 from Midway USA: https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1004280164 Or: https://www.bigtexordnance.com/product/glock-oem-magazine-catch-spring-sp00280/ <----- 99 cents! (grab some tactical pocket sand from these guys and get your Dale Gribble on)

If its a brand new gun, a trip back to the place of purchase may be helpful, depending on their customer service, and you may be able to compare it to another pistol of the same model. You can also contact Glock and send the pistol to them for evaluation.

Edited to add: Just re-read the OP. Have you tried a OEM mag without an aftermarket base pad or grip sleeve? Such as a stock G17 mag from your other gun? Non-OEM base plates and grip sleeve type stuff can cause issues sometimes. If its stiff with an unloaded, bare 100% OEM mag/baseplate (especially a 19/17 mag)... it may need a trip back to the mothership.

DDTSGM
11-28-2022, 01:20 AM
Now, I feel a stupid-self moment coming on lol...Ive only tried unloaded G26 10-round factory mags with either a Pearce base or unloaded G19 factory mags with a X-Grip sleeve--would unloaded make a difference? They drop fine empty, there's just a lot of spring tension when I push the release. BTW, I'm very new, I appreciate you guys' patience!

Are you pushing with the pad of your thumb or the end of the thumb? This can be an issue with folks with shorter digits. Slightly shifting the pistol in your hand as the support hand comes away may help to get the thumb oriented so you are press with the end of the thumb (bone) not the more fleshy pad.

(Boy, that was probably clear as mud.)

I wouldn't replace the mag spring with a lighter one, especially one that is half the tension of the original.

LowAndLeft
11-28-2022, 02:38 AM
Are you pushing with the pad of your thumb or the end of the thumb? This can be an issue with folks with shorter digits. Slightly shifting the pistol in your hand as the support hand comes away may help to get the thumb oriented so you are press with the end of the thumb (bone) not the more fleshy pad.

(Boy, that was probably clear as mud.)

I wouldn't replace the mag spring with a lighter one, especially one that is half the tension of the original. The spring definitely is stiff but I have large hands and I think that can be contributing to the problem. To cleanly access the button, I have to release my grip on the gun to use more of my thumb-tip because it's a sub-compact. I guess that part of the sacrifice with this frame size.

LowAndLeft
11-28-2022, 02:50 AM
Make sure you aren’t blocking the rear of the catch with your middle finger. Like the guy above me said, unless you are having significant issues getting a mag to drop, I’d rather leave it with factory spring tensions and avoid dumping a mag accidentally. The spring is definitely stiff but my finger is probably not out of the way as much as it could be--I'm trying to maintain as much grip as I can during a reload. I guess I'll have to sacrifice grip as an exchange for carrying a smaller gun?

JTQ
11-28-2022, 08:01 AM
Are you pushing with the pad of your thumb or the end of the thumb? This can be an issue with folks with shorter digits. Slightly shifting the pistol in your hand as the support hand comes away may help to get the thumb oriented so you are press with the end of the thumb (bone) not the more fleshy pad.



The spring definitely is stiff but I have large hands and I think that can be contributing to the problem. To cleanly access the button, I have to release my grip on the gun to use more of my thumb-tip because it's a sub-compact. I guess that part of the sacrifice with this frame size.

Not having to shift the gun in the hand to release the mag seems to have become the expectation for many, but I'd expect to shift every gun in my hand to hit the mag release. Changing expectations could be a benefit.

I often share this video from Shannon Smith. You can skip to the 2:05 mark


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfIaMB1TvLI

RJ
11-28-2022, 08:08 AM
I guess I'll have to sacrifice grip as an exchange for carrying a smaller gun?

Yes.

I have M/L hands. I am a lefty, and have tried all sorts of different release options for pushing the mag release.

The one that works best on the timer is to "flip" my grip in my strong hand, so the magwell is as close to vertical as possible. With the gun flipped, I then depress the mag catch with the middle finger on my left hand, while at the same time my new mag is being grabbed and then inserted to that magwell as the spent mag drops free. My context is as a pretty low-level, very occasional USPSA shooter. I'm generally trying to reload between target arrays, so I focus more on reliable mag changes. I am no high speed low drag shooter by any stretch.

BK14
11-28-2022, 08:23 AM
The spring is definitely stiff but my finger is probably not out of the way as much as it could be--I'm trying to maintain as much grip as I can during a reload. I guess I'll have to sacrifice grip as an exchange for carrying a smaller gun?

There is essentially no practical size difference between a 26 and 17 in regards to mag release placement. For my hand size, I have to shift the gun in my firing hand to be able to hit the release on most guns. So, I wouldn’t say it’s due to the smaller gun, but instead due to hand size and efficient mechanics to press the mag release in.

Turns out I can’t find a good video to explain that exact step in the process. But essentially, I’m shifting the gun in my strong hand to hit the mag release keeping the gun vertical, then “fixing” my grip as I acquire my next mag and then seat it.

Keep in mind that’s what I do, based off my hand sized and size of gun. You may not need to shift the gun.

Blowers sorta mentions it in this video, but as he goes through demonstrating techniques, you can see that he slightly shifts the gun, then slightly shifts it back. That’s all the movement I’m talking about.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HMcc9OmjmWQ

BK14
11-28-2022, 08:24 AM
I love that within minutes, three of us isolated on that one line to give a response. Gooooooo PF.

CraigS
11-28-2022, 08:51 AM
My wife started shooting idpa w/ me this summer. She immediately started having trouble dropping mags. I started a thread here and got a lot of help. But she still had problems. One suggestion was try using her weak hand thumb. First time she tried that she looked at me and said, winner. We think this way. Standard 2 hand grip and slide locks back empty. Her strong hand thumb is near (maybe 1 inch) the release button, but not near enough, so she has to flip the gun around as you say. And flip it back. But her weak hand thumb is only a little further away. Maybe 2 inches. So she hits the button w/ her weak hand thumb. It needs to move an inch further, but; 1- no need to flip the gun around and flip it back, 2- she is pushing her left hand thumb into her right palm and has, since she is using her arm muscles, probably 10 times the strength compared to her strong hand thumb only. After she decided to concentrate this technique we went to practice. We found that all ways to simulate reloads w/o firing a round were not really great so I loaded up maybe 6 mags one round each. She sticks one in the gun and one in her mag pouch. She starts from low ready, fires, drops the mag and reloads. I stand just behind her and, as soon as she grabs the next mag, I put another one shot loaded mag in her pouch. So she goes through 6 cycles of reloads as fast as she can move correctly. By the second round of 6 she says she really likes this. After the third round she says this is absolutely her best technique.
It is possible that it is a tiny fraction of a second slower, but strong hand thumb is always a bit dicey whether it will go well or not. Weak hand thumb is always 100%.

UNM1136
11-28-2022, 12:00 PM
Not having to shift the gun in the hand to release the mag seems to have become the expectation for many, but I'd expect to shift every gun in my hand to hit the mag release. Changing expectations could be a benefit.

I often share this video from Shannon Smith. You can skip to the 2:05 mark


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfIaMB1TvLI

Yeah.

I have shared this before. It may not help here, but shooters with short digits may benefit from doing a couple of things as they break their grip to reload...
1. Put shooting hand thumb on the mag release and stiffen it to hold it firm.

2. As your support hand leaves the gun, use it pull the gun into your shooting hand thumb. Keep thumb firm, and the mag should drop.

Don't listen to me overall... I tend to put partially depleted mags back into mag pouches...because that is where I reach for mags...I do not train to pull mags from a pocket (much)....likely to get me kilt in da streetz...

pat

Dog Guy
11-29-2022, 10:58 AM
Pre-hand injury, I used the middle finger of my strong hand to hit the mag release on my G19. I have medium hands with long fingers. My thumb is too short to reach the release on the G19 without significant grip shift. I found that the grip shift needed to release using the middle finger was much less than shifting to reach with my thumb, and kept better control of the pistol while doing so. And my finger had a better angle to press in on the release instead of sort of pressing at an angle with my thumb.

With my P250SC, my thumb can reach to release pretty well and the geometry of the trigger guard makes it hard to reach with the finger so this technique didn't work so well. Post-hand injury, I've adapted to use my weak hand thumb to reliably hit the release.

And I'm the last guy you want to take instruction from, so consider this as just a data point for consideration.